breach of promise

breach of promise
index dishonor (nonpayment), disloyalty, infidelity, infraction, nonperformance

Burton's Legal Thesaurus. . 2006


breach of promise
A broken promise, usually to marry. No longer a valid claim, historically breach of promise was used to seek money damages when a fiancee—usually the intended groom—called off the wedding.
Category: Divorce & Family Law

Nolo’s Plain-English Law Dictionary. . 2009.

breach of promise
n.
   historically, the dumping of a female fiancee by her intended husband after he had proposed marriage and she had accepted. She was entitled to file a suit for damages for the embarrassment of the broken engagement. Such lawsuits were gradually outlawed in various states and no longer exist.
   See also: breach

Law dictionary. . 2013.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Breach of promise — Breach Breach (br[=e]ch), n. [OE. breke, breche, AS. brice, gebrice, gebrece (in comp.), fr. brecan to break; akin to Dan. br[ae]k, MHG. breche, gap, breach. See {Break}, and cf. {Brake} (the instrument), {Brack} a break] . 1. The act of breaking …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Breach of promise — is a former common law tort. From at least medieval times until the early 20th century, a man s promise of engagement to marry a woman was considered, in many jurisdictions, a legally binding contract. If the man were to subsequently change his… …   Wikipedia

  • breach of promise — n. a breaking of a promise, esp. a promise to marry …   English World dictionary

  • breach of promise — ► breach of promise the breaking of a sworn assurance. Main Entry: ↑breach …   English terms dictionary

  • breach of promise — noun failure to keep a promise (of marriage) • Hypernyms: ↑breach of contract * * * : violation of one s plighted word, especially of a promise to marry * * * Law. a violation of one s promise, esp. of a promise to marry a specific person. [1580… …   Useful english dictionary

  • breach of promise — Literally the failure to perform a promise, but known to the law and also to laymen as breach of promise of marriage. 12 Am J2d Breach P § 1 …   Ballentine's law dictionary

  • breach of promise — breach′ of prom′ise n. Law. law a violation of one s promise, esp. the promise of a man to marry a specific woman • Etymology: 1580–90 …   From formal English to slang

  • breach of promise — Synonyms and related words: Punic faith, bad faith, barratry, breach, breach of contract, breach of faith, breach of privilege, breach of trust, breaking, contravention, dereliction, disaffection, disloyalty, faithlessness, falseness, falsity,… …   Moby Thesaurus

  • breach of promise — Law. a violation of one s promise, esp. of a promise to marry a specific person. [1580 90] * * * …   Universalium

  • breach of promise — breaking of a promise, failure to keep a promise …   English contemporary dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”